Tag: access

Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access To Health Care – Trans Kids In The US Were Seeking Treatment
LGBTQ

Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access To Health Care – Trans Kids In The US Were Seeking Treatment

In 1942, a 17-year-old transgender girl named Lane visited a doctor in her Missouri hometown with her parents. Lane had known that she was a girl from a very young age, but fights with her parents over her transness had made it difficult for her to live comfortably and openly during her childhood. She had dropped out of high school and she was determined to get out of Missouri as soon as she was old enough to pursue a career as a dancer. The doctor reportedly found “a large portion of circulating female hormone” in her body during his examination and suggested to Lane’s parents that he undertake an exploratory laparotomy – a surgery in which he would probe her internal organs in order to find out more about her endocrine system. But the appointment ended abruptly after her father refused ...
Those Who Have Access To Puberty Blockers, And Those Who Don’t  – Two Classes Of Trans Kids Are Emerging
LGBTQ

Those Who Have Access To Puberty Blockers, And Those Who Don’t – Two Classes Of Trans Kids Are Emerging

For people who have never thought about it before, it might sound reasonable to require trans kids to wait until they’re adults before they can receive certain forms of care known as gender-affirming treatment – which is what legislation that just passed in Arkansas does. But this type of legislation actually prevents kids from accessing treatment before and during a crucial period of development: puberty. When I was researching my book “The Trans Generation: How Trans Kids and Their Parents are Creating a Gender Revolution,” I observed how not all trans kids can access the care they want or need during this critical stage of life. This unequal access to gender-affirming health care, which occurs across state lines and socioeconomic divides, could cause two “classes” of transgender peopl...